Harmonic damper for pianos



G. CLOETENS.

HARMONIC DAMPER FOR PIANOS. I APPLICATION FILED JAN.19. 1920. 1 92,244. PatentedSept. 27, 1921.

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HARMONIC DAMPER FOR PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED. JAN. 19, 1920.,

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GEORGES CLOETENS, or imussnns, BELGIUM, nssrcnoa or one'rnmn TO GEORGES LALOUX, OFLIEGE, BELGIUM, AND ONE-THIRD, TO LOUIS VAN DER HEYDEN A EAUZEUR, OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.

HARMONIC DAMPER' FOR PIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 27, 1921.

Application filed January 19, 1920. Serial No. 352,345.

T 0 all whomc't may concern: i

it known that I, Gnonens CLoErENs, manufacturer of organs at Brussels, Belgium, 37 Rue de Lauzan'ne, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to Harmonic Dampers for Pianos; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the ,invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked therein, which form a part'of this: specification.

This invention relates toall stringed instruments'played by' keyboard, such as pianos, harpsichords, etc., or by the fingers,

like the harp, and has'for its object to per' mit of modification of the sounds produced by thestrings, and in particularto cause the production by each string of harmonics of the note for which the string is constructed.

It is old to attain the above results by means of pressers adapted to be applied to the strings at definite points on the latter by appropriate operating mechanism.

The present invention aims'to provide a mechanism of this general type in which the pressers are adaptedto be applied to the strings in an absolutely rigid manner and with sufficient pressure to avoid parasitical vibrations which would be detrimental tothe purity of sound. This result is attained mainly through the employment of wedge.

Inemberswhich cause a direct action of the pressers upon the strings.

In keyboard instruments in which each note is formed by a plurality of juxtaposed strings, a second wedge. mechanism is provided adapted to be operated independently of the first in a direction parallel to the plane of the strings, in such manner that the pressers, when actuated by the first wedge mechanism, do not come in contact with certain of the strings.

One embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a partly diagrammatic view of the general arrangement of the strings of a piano and of the apparatus constituting the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, sectional View of Fig. 1 at right angles to the strings;

Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary sectional viewson the lines 3-3 and 4- -4 of Fig. 2, respectively;-

Figs, 5,6 and 7 are fragmentary sectional views similar to F 3, but illustrating three other constructional forms;

Fig.8 isa fragmentary plan view on an enlarged scale of still another constructional form;' V

The strings are stretched in the usual way over the plate 1, 2. They are operated in the usual way by hammers (not shown) acting at a certain distance from the front part 1 of the plate. The pressers forming the subject matter of the present invention are mounted on supports 4, 4, the construction and arrangement of which is such thatthe pressers can be brought into contact with the stringsat their centers and at one quarter of their length. 'It is obvious that in the above cases the string struck will produce the first or second octave above, respectively.

As shown inFigs. 2 and 3, each of the supports 4 and '4 carries, by meansflof screws 6, a bar 5.,which, for constructional reasons, will be most frequently divided longitudinally into a number of sections. Upon the bar 5 are fixedthe pressers for each note,"

comprised each of a disk 8 covered with felt and secured to the end of a screw-threaded rod 7 fixed in the bar 5. These screw-threaded rods permit of the exact adjustment of the position of the members 8 with respect to the strings.

Overlying the supports 4 and 4' adjacent one end thereof are wedge members 9 (shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3), which coact with inclined faces of, the supports. These wedge members 9 are actuated through rods 10 provided with a handle member near the key-board. Actuation of the wedge members 9 by means of the rods 10 causes the supports 4 and 4' to be depressed thereby bringing the pressers into contact with the strings 3. Return of the supports 4 and 4 to normal position is effected by tension springs 11 (shown in Fig. 3). g

In the case where each note has three strings, to cause each presser 8 to touch only .two strings, or only a single string, the supports 4 and 4' must be moved longitudinally and this is effected by means of Wedges 12 (shown in Figs. 1 and 4) which engage the inclined ends of the supports and are actuated through the medium of rods 13. The

return of the supports to normal position is effected by the springs 1% (shown in Fig. 2).

It will be understood that the ends of the supports 1 and 4' opposite those engaged by the wedges 9 and 12 will be supported by suitable means permitting the movement of the supports caused by the wedges. Since this means may be merely conventional and forms no part of applicants invention it has not been illustrated.

Instead of shifting the supports 4 and 1 longitudinally in order to cause the pressers to strike certain only of the strings of each note, the same result may be attained by utilizin three separate pressers 8' for the three strings 8 of the same note (as shown in Fig. 8). Each presser may be carried for example by a separate bar 5 and a separate support, the difler'ent supports being adapted to be operated independently oi each other.

In the constructional form shown in Fig. 5, the support for the presser is in the form of a bar 15 adapted to rock about an axis 16 under'the action of an operating rod 18.

This bar carries fingers 17 on the free ends of which are fixed the pressers 8 with their screw-threaded rods 7. This construction permits of the exact adjustment ofthe position of the pressers 8 in the direction of the length or the string, by moving the finger l7 relatively to the bar 15, the fixing of this finger by means of the screw 23' only taking place when the adjustment is finished.

In order to obtain the simultaneous pro duction of several sounds, separate pressers for each string of the same note may also be employed in this case. Each presser 8 is then carried by a separate finger 17 which is movable relatively to the bar 15, and one or more of these fingers may be raised by means of a suitable device for the purpose of preventing the corresponding presser from coming into contact with the strings when the bar 15 is operated.

In the form shown in Fig. 6, each of the bars 5 (see Fig. 3) instead of carrying different pressers 8, carries along the whole of its length a projecting pad formed by a string 19 covered with felt 20 but such construction may be modified as shown in Fig. 7 by cutting a groove 21 in the bar which is closed by a diaphragm 22 which is kept inflated by air pressure or the like.

It is obvious that the support 4 or 15 might also be divided into separate sections operated separately.

Having now specifically described my invention and its mode of operation, What I claim is:

In a stringed musical instrument, the combination with the strings, of a plurality of pressers located to produce harmonics of the strings when moved thereagainst, a bar supporting said pressers, means located to move said bar toward said strings, and means located to move said bar longitudi nally in order that the pressers may be applied only against certainof the strings in each note when said bar ismoved toward said strings.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGES CLOETENS.

\Vitnesses CHARLES Mnnorrm, EUGENE DRYON, 

